In February 2024, my wife and I (and our dog) set off from the UK in our van to Europe, embarking on a big adventure and the fabled van life.
Van life is all the rage right now. Compared with pre-pandemic numbers, sales of motorhomes and campervans are up 8.25% in the UK. In Europe, the post-Covid 19 boom of campervan owners and ‘van lifers’ caused many regions to invest in new facilities to tackle the growing trend of ‘dirty campers’ who left litter and waste in the countryside.
There are also 16.5 million Instagram posts tagged as ‘#vanlife‘ with the typically hyper-edited images showing beautiful people in beautiful places, touting their digital nomad lifestyle and latest YouTube video.
After a little over a month of living in our van, we have seen some incredible places and done some amazing things: Skied in the Pyrenees and the Sierra Nevada; cycled through rock-hewn tunnels in northern Spain; hiked and cycled up mountains and stayed in remote villages.
But, there’s also been some stuff that is absolutely not worth an Instagram post but is 100% necessary to be prepared for before you start on your journey in your van.
1. The Side Quests
Like any good episode of The Witcher, most days of van life contain a series of seemingly simple yet time-consuming side quests. You can make these more efficient by lumping them into one day, and you can be less fussy with some stuff, but most are unavoidable.
For us, the main side quest was trying to find gas. Our big Campingaz bottle ran out in Portugal and we soon discovered Portugal does not stock Campingaz anywhere. Even when we re-entered Spain, we visited numerous hardware stores and gas stations on the hunt for a bottle before our reserve ran out. We eventually found a reasonable exchange, but this weeks-long search was just one of the pesky tasks that needs done.
Other good ones include: Grocery shopping (which you need to do every couple days because you can’t store a lot); laundry (which weirdly takes ages); emptying the toilet (literally the worst job ever); refilling the water (tricky when some places turn off the taps due to droughts); showering (these can be satisfying when you find a good one).
You get the idea.
2. Rain sucks
This kind of goes without saying, but wet weather is rubbish. Seriously. You are in a tiny space so wet kit takes ages to dry. You also bring a load of water and dirt into the van, which is annoying to clean out.
If, like us, you brought your dog, the problem is only amplified. While we tried to dodge the rain, it kept finding us in north Portugal. Avoid rain at all costs, or find a good system for dealing with it.
3. The Camper Chat
Arriving at a parking area or aire, you might encounter a few other campers. When you say more than ‘hello’ you enter the ‘Camper Chat’:
- General greetings
- Where are you from?
- How long are you travelling for?
- Where have you been?
- Where are you going?
- What is your van setup? I will show you mine
- My solar panel can do 500W
- This is where I take a sh*t
- This is how I dispose of my sh*t
- This is how long before I need to empty my toilet
- Special British addition: You guys have European passports? Aw! Lucky you! Yes, we are trying to figure out the 90/180 days rules.
It is all good fun, of course, but I always find that initial series of chat very amusing.
4. You’ll have rubbish days
On a more serious note, there are just days when you are frustrated, not sure where you are going or why you are there, or you just don’t know what to do. We tend to have one of these every 10 days, and usually coincide with Van Admin Day (laundry, groceries, fuel) or rain.
We still haven’t totally dealt with them, but we did make a commitment that we find pastries as soon as we can when we feel bad. It is hard to say why it happens, but usually it is because you have ended up in a kind of no-man’s land, unsure why you are there and what your plan is.
Of course, spontaneity is key in van life, but having a vague sense of direction helps avoid the general feeling of decision fatigue, uncertainty and frustration that comes on these types of days. Also, just expect them. It happens. Not every day is great.
5. You get excited about very random things
When we arrived back in Spain, we got so excited the first time we passed a fuel station. 1,45€ for a litre of fuel! In Portugal it was more like 1,75€!
Finding a good shower is also a 10/10 day. Seeing the watts your solar panel is absorbing is an exciting and often mesmerising experience as you watch it climb higher and higher as the day goes on. Locating a laundrette right next to a Lidl or Aldi. Obviously, finding a tap with free drinking water is a big highlight. And, of course, finding a quality bakery.
There are lots of little things which bring joy when you’re in your campervan, which in normal life would be almost boring.
6. You become a Campervan Spot Hunting Pro
What is the perfect campervan spot? It means a lot of things to different people. It might be a fully serviced aire for some; for others, it might be a long gravel layby under trees, near a river, with no space for anyone else.
As you drive along the road, you will begin to pick out the excellent spots that fit your needs. You will also develop this internal spirit level to know whether you are level or not (you soon find out if you got it wrong).
We are Park 4 Night users and we’ve heard others use Search For Sites. These offer handy tips on good places to spend the night, but sometimes your own intuition is the best thing to rely on.
7. You quickly learn what you like and don’t like
As you go along you van trip, you will start to learn what types of places and situations you enjoy most – and the least.
For us, after trying a couple of times to experience the popular cities on our way (such as Lisbon, Faro, Granada), we found we just didn’t enjoy them as much as we thought and much preferred time in the mountains in small- to medium-sized towns.
Having the van also presents a logistical conundrum at times, with parking and street size becoming a limiting factor. Cities also cater for a touristy vibe that we just don’t enjoy, so always try to stay just that bit more rural to get a more authentic experience.
8. Take your time
Finally, take your time. It’s sometimes quite easy to just keep moving, and maybe if you are after a ‘road trip’ that might suit you – but we aren’t.
We like to explore a place a little more before we head on to another, doing less places deeper instead of lots of places quickly. I find the latter quite stressful.
If you are pressed for time, choose an area and just explore it, rather than trying to fit a tour of a continent into a couple months. Sample the culture, the landscapes and the places as much as you can.
And that about sums it up! I am sure I have missed a few, and maybe you have some of your own funny lessons you have learned along the way that people don’t talk about. Feel free to leave them in the comments.
